A terminal device refers to a terminal device, which possesses an ability of access to the internet, is usually equipped with various operating systems, and may customize various functions according to user demands. The terminal device, particularly a smart phone and a tablet personal computer, is increasingly powerful in function, increasingly low in cost and increasingly high in penetration. The terminal device, serving as a private article of a user, stores private sensitive information including contact information, short messages, call records, photos, Applicants (APP), and the like. In case of lending a terminal device to other people for temporary use, how to effectively protect personal sensitive information in the terminal device becomes an important demand needing to be considered by a software/hardware system of the terminal device.
At present, there are mainly two solutions for protecting personal sensitive information by a terminal device. The first solution refers to an information hiding method under a single-user solution, including: a) hiding some information by means of a hiding function possessed by an operating system of a terminal device; and b) storing some information in an area which cannot be read by common APPs by means of specific APPs such as some butler software capable of storing a picture photographed by a camera in an area which cannot be read by an “album” APP. The second solution refers to an information hiding method under a multi-user solution, including that: operating systems of some mobile terminals support multi-user characteristics, that is, user information under a user A is invisible under a user B, and users achieve the aim of information hiding by switching between different operating systems.
However, the above protection methods for personal sensitive information have a defect of external exposure of an access entry of personal sensitive information. For example, after a “secret photography” function of certain software is started, a specific “secret photography” icon will appear on an interface of a camera APP. Due to external exposure of the access entry of the personal sensitive information, other people may conclude the existence of the personal sensitive information when discovering the existence of the access entry, thereby making it inconvenient to hide the personal sensitive information.